A resident of Corpus Christi, Texas, has admitted guilt in a case involving embezzlement from a local labor union, as announced by U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. The individual, Robert Cirilo, previously served as the president of the United Steelworkers Local 13-1647.
Cirilo pleaded guilty to wire fraud and embezzlement charges. He admitted to making approximately 430 unauthorized transactions from union accounts for personal expenses. Additionally, he acknowledged concealing these transactions by providing false information to union members. The embezzlement amount was confirmed to exceed $280,000.
Sentencing is scheduled for August 12, as determined by U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos. Cirilo could face up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 fine for the wire fraud charge, with an additional potential five-year sentence and a $10,000 fine for embezzlement.
The investigation was carried out by the FBI and the Department of Labor’s Office of Labor-Management Standards. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tyler Foster and John Marck.